foreign affairs Flashcards
ian smith
- embodied british colonialism
- born in rhodesia, scottish parents immigrated
- co-founded rhodesian front 1962
- won power dec 1962
- right-wing extremist
when was the rhodesian front set up?
1962
what was the rhodesian fronts aims?
to preserve white minority rule in rhodesia
what happened to rhodesia in 1964?
- the federation of nyasaland and southern/northern rhodesia dissolved
what is northern rhodesia modernly known as?
zambia
what is southern rhodesia modernly known as?
zimbabwe
what options did wilson give smith?
- setting up a royal commission chaired by Sir Hugh Beatle (rhodesias cheif justice) to help the 5 principles to be put into place
- a referendum for UDI to the unfair franchise
what options did wilson have with smith?
- negotiations or military invasion
what did wilson do after smith declares UDI?
- declares it an illegal UDI
- stripped UK exports, tobacco and sugar purchases (relied 70% tobacco imports from UK)
- expelled from the sterling area
- waited for american support to declare an oil embargo
- issued/renewed passports by the regime weren’t recognised by the british government
why couldn’t wilson use military intervention on rhodesia?
- landlocked country (would have to fly in troops or go through neighbouring country with their permission)
- against manifesto pledges, wanted make cuts in defence spending
what were wilson’s actions on rhodesia?
- after smith called udi he declared it ‘illegal’
- stripped many uk exports. they relied 70% tobacco and sugar purchases, these were banned
- expelled them from the sterling area
- with usa permission declared oil embargo
- any issued/renewed passports from rhodesia were not recognised by british border force
- arms exports ended
- exchange controls stopped
- access to london capital market stopped
- british capital could no longer be exported to rhodesia
when did the rhodesian front win a majority?
- 7 may 1965
- won all fifty seats on the a-roll, only 15 on the b-roll (landslide victory)
what were other nations view on rhodesia?
- zambia on uk side, said they would leave the commonwealth and leave the sterling area if wilson lost against smith
- had UN support
when did smith declare udi?
11 november 1965
how did the queen respond to udi?
‘all her rhodesian people will demonstrate their loyalty by continuing to act in a constitutional manner’
what does unilateral mean
something done/undertaken by one person or one party
(an independent decision)
stats of the public’s opinion of the handling of rhodesia
- opinion poll showed 55% approval rating over 25% disapproving
what were the opinion polls after rhodesia (lab/tory)?
- lab = 44.5% lead
- tory = 38.5%
to what extent was wilson successful in the handling of rhodesia?
- not successful but regional tension and other difficulties were working against him
- SA and mozambique backed rhodesia, helped with the sanctions
- oil companies ignored the sanctions despite UN backing
- smith aware of the small amount of support there was for him in britain
- did take strong action with passports
- not solved until 1980s
summary of withdrawal ‘east of suez’
- labour knew from the election of 1964 there had to be spending cuts
- withdrawals were set up in Healey’s white paper in 1967 when labour had a more secure majority
- withdrew from middle east, aden, malaysia and singapore
what did wilson do in terms of withdrawal ‘east of suez’?
- he believed in the atlantic alliance and GB having a world role
- therefore didnt want nuclear disarmament
- gov announced they would keep deploying missiles
- 1967 commitment to upgrading nuclear army
- followed up on withdrawals
how successful was wilson in handling withdrawing ‘east of suez’
- withdrawal were successful
- but the high tech warplane was not built as it was too expensive (TSR2)
summary of the EEC integration
- lab gov committed into getting into the EEC
- lab lefts and tu against as saw it as ‘a club for capitalists’
- europhiles in cabinet let do divisions
why did wilson/the lab cabinet want to enter?
- to improve the economy
how successful was wilson with the EEC integration?
- application was veto’d by de gaulle
- de gaulle didnt like usa and uk relationship, wanted them to give it up for the EEC, wilson declined doing that
- application was half-hearted because of lab divisions and doubt
- devaluation happened in the same month
when did devaluation and rejection from the eec happen?
november 1967
summary of the vietnam war/relations with the usa
- soviet threat was enchanted by czechoslovakia invasion
- wilson wanted good terms with the us
- vietnam split into the communist north and the non-communist south
- us sided with non-communists against the communists
- escalated in 1964, USA eventually withdrew in 1975 when vietcong’s took over
what were the vietnam communists called?
vietcongs
when did the usa eventually withdraw from vietnam and why?
- 1975
- vietcongs took over
what did wilson do in terms of the vietnam war and handling of relations with the usa?
- resisted any military intervention but gave moral support to President Johnson
- was a balancing act for wilson - wanted to maintain relationship with usa but the war was unpopular with the british public/the left
- couldn’t afford involvement as also needed to keep the £ up
- annoyed US who wanted greater backing as well as Lab MPs
how successful was wilson in handling vietnam?
- gave all support that was possible, not an essential war concerning britain
- kept good enough relations with usa and labour
